It is immensely difficult to be a director. From handling the script to finding actors to completing the shoot, the laboring process is akin to giving birth.

Every film is a product of blood and tears, yet box-office success often depends on luck, which is the source of much anxiety and sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, the sweet smell of success makes the hard work worthwhile.

The success of a film depends on the fortitude of being at the right place, the right time and with the right people. My advice is to take everything with a grain of salt!

I am lucky to have entered the business 40 years ago. I doubt I would have the chance to become a director if I try to break in today. Work hard, new directors!

Biography

Bryan Leung Ka-yan was born in Hong Kong in 1949. Best known as an actor with considerable skills in the martial arts, Leung began his career in the 1970s with several appearances in Chang Cheh’s action films, including Shaolin Martial Arts (1974) and Seven Man Army (1976). In the Sammo Hung-directed Warriors Two (1977), Leung is prominently featured as Mr. Tsan, a kung fu master. Avid fans of the kung fu genre will also remember him as the lead role in Cantonen Iron Kung Fu (1979).

Besides the big screen, Leung also had a illustrated career in television. The popularity of wuxia programs on television in the 1980s provided him with many opportunities. In 1982, he experienced a soar in popularity as one of the leads in Television Broadcasts Limited’s (TVB) adaptation of novelist Louis Cha’s Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. In the following year, he acted along emerging star Andy Lau in another Louis Cha-adaptation and TVB serial drama, The Return of the Condor Heroes, which broke TV ratings records at the time.

In 1984, Leung made his directing debut as a filmmaker with Profile in Anger, in which he also starred. His collaboration with Stephen Chow began with 1990’s My Hero, for which he served as director, co-writer, action director and actor. As mo lay tau, the nonsensical style of comedy spearheaded by Chow at the peak of his popularity, dominated the mainstream, Leung made a successful switch from action to comedic roles in the 1990s and was featured in some of Chow’s most popular films, such as Justice, My Foot (1992) Flirting Scholar (1993) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). He also appeared in Ronny Yu’s Saving General Yang (2013).